BLOG TOUR: Sound Of The Heart by Genevieve Graham (Review + Giveaway)

Finished copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

From Genevieve Graham, author of Under the Same Sky, comes a sweeping romantic historical novel of one man’s strange gift and dangerous battles…

Dougal MacDonnell, a fierce warrior from the Highlands of Scotland, is able to hear the thoughts of other men and dream how the future will unfold. Devastated by the loss of his family during the Battle of Culloden in 1746, he fosters a deep hatred for the English. But when Glenna, the love of his life and a Scottish outlaw, is captured and shipped overseas, Dougal is forced to join an English army made of vanquished Scots. Now fighting on the side of his sworn enemies, he embarks on a journey that will take him across the seas to the colonies. There he will risk everything for the chance to find his true love.(Goodreads)

"Wherever you are, brothers, I go wi'ye in spirit"

As Dougal had grown older, he'd stepped into brawls, taking on the biggest men he could find, tossing smaller ones aside as if he were a bull surrounded by calves. It was as if the power of the fight fed his blood.

If there's one thing that every romance fan should hope for when diving into a new historical romance, it would most definitely be for the historical part to be done right. It isn't all that hard to write a steamy, heart-pounding romance, but to set it against a historical background that would not only be accurate, but also incredibly vivid, juicy and bursting with flavour - that, my friends, is a great accomplishment. No one does historical romance the way Genevieve Graham does.She weaves a fantastic tale packed with the sweetest kind of romance, breathtaking adventure, and just a tiny bit of magic, and she does it in the most superb, addictive way.Sound Of The Heart, just like Graham's previous novel, Under The Same Sky, is a pure delight, and everyone who loves a well-written, spellbinding, and swiftly moving historical romance will love, love, love it!

The novel kicks-off with the Battle of Culloden, just like Under The Same Sky did, only this time around Genevieve explores the adventures of Andrew MacDonnel's brother, Dougal. I absolutely loved reading about Andrew and Maggie in Graham's previous book, and you can only imagine how incredibly happy I was to know that now I'll get to meet and learn more about his brother! Just like Andrew, Dougal is not just another warrior caught in the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, he is fierce, devoted to his family and country, and he possesses a special talent that allows him to hear other men's thoughts and see the future in his dreams.The Battle of Culloden will change his life forever. He'll lose everyone he ever cared about and will be captured by the English army. He'll then manage to escape with the help of a young lad, Aiden, and he'll travel back to the highlands where he'll meet a girl that will steal his heart (and let me just tell you that you''ll be so surprised to learn who Glenna is!). It's the love for Glenna that will push him to travel across the seas to America, where he'll risk everything to get his love back.

Sound Of The Heart is a novel that will enchant you and sweep you off your feet! I loved how fast-paced and adventurous it was. The story flows effortlessly and doesn't let you catch your breath. The romance, too, is spine-tingling and sweet as honey, but its definitely the action and the fabulously depicted settings that ultimately made this book for me. It's remarkable how accurate and spot-on Graham's descriptions of fights and battles are - you would not expect a lady to be able to capture the heat, desperation and spirit of a battle so brilliantly. And yet she does it so well! You're instantly transported in the middle of a battlefield, and you can almost hear the cling of metal and all the war cries. Graham's writing style makes it easy to lose yourself in the story. Her characters are painfully authentic, their feelings and struggles - all too believable and heart wrenching. Before you know it, you'll be emotionally wrapped up in the plot and biting your nails!

I loved all the characters, but I especially enjoyed reading about Dougal. Some aspects of his personality reminded me of Andrew, some were totally different, but overall he was a fabulous protagonist that I came to love and admire. Not only is he steaming hot and build like a model, but he also has a beautiful soul and a lion's heart. There's just no way you could dislike him as a person, he's wonderful!

Sound Of The Heart is a book that I would recommend to everyone, regardless if you're a fan of the genre. It has everything a good book should have: sweeping love story, mind-blowing adventure, brilliant characters, engaging plot line and irresistible charm. Even if romance novels are not usually on your reading list, give this one a chance, you'll be surprised how much you'll enjoy it! I HIGHLY recommend it!

❤ ❤ ❤GIVEAWAY❤ ❤ ❤

Genevieve Graham has generously offered a fantastic grand prize for everyone who follows the tour! Here is what she has to say about the giveaway:

Grand Prize on the book tour is ...

A signed copy of Sound of the Heart PLUS a four cd set of relaxation cds created by my incredibly talented musical friends, Cori Ashley and Ed Franks. I'll give you a little insight into why I chose these cds as my prize - I'm NOT saying Sound of the Heart is about relaxing … considering the wild adventures Dougal's in for, I doubt he was too relaxed! But Dougal has a gift, similar to his brother's gift. He can relax his mind and hear the thoughts of other men, but he can also sink into his thoughts and hear the sounds and voices of his loved ones as if they were right there with him. These cds were created to help you escape the stress and craziness of your days. Grab a cup of tea or glass of wine (your preference!), light a candle, maybe slip in to a bubblebath, and listen to the sound of your heart.

9 comments:

This comment is for the giveaway on the blog tour. I loved your review! It's very clear that you loved the book and also loved the author's last novel. I appreciate the fact that you stated the history in the story is accurate. I know the interview explained about white slavery with Scots in America. I didn't know about that and am glad to know that the author did more than just fill in between steamy love scenes with made-up action between the characters. I'm old enough to appreciate my own history as well as that of others!

Well, can't argue with your statement of" It has everything a good book should have: sweeping love story, mind-blowing adventure, brilliant characters, engaging plot line and irresistible charm". I want to read it too!!

I love a romance that has some adventure to it. The adventure helps to keep the pace going. I envy the authors that do historical romances because the information has to be historically accurate. At times it must take a lot of research time to get things perfect.

It sure sounds like an amazing book, not only for the historical romance part (which I love) but because if the author cares about the accuracy of the background history then it improves everything for the reader.And if the book is as good as you say then I'm going to to add it to my wishlist right now :D

Hey Kelly - I know, right? Evie's review has ME wanting to read it again! lol I hope you enjoy the book.

Lynn & Alaiel - For me, a story's only well written if the reader can be a part of it. And to be a part of it, everything about the story has to be as real as possible. So yeah. I researched a ton, and a lot of that was kinda selfish because when I wrote the book initially, I wrote it for me - and I wanted it to be just right!